My Charm
by DaeDreemer
Summary: NB. she takes amazing notes.


**Disclaimer**: No copyright infringement intended.

**Author's Note**: Pre-show.

* * *

"Can I ask you a question?"

She huffs, doesn't look up from the textbook, says, "Nate," very seriously.

"What?" He asks, pouts a little.

He's already asked her four questions, _do you think ants ever look up at us? _among them. "Does your question have to do with the Louisiana Purchase?"

He glances down at the page of his open history book, "I don't think so."

"France-United States relations?" She tucks a curl of dark hair behind her ear, thinks she needs to check mirror soon, make sure her hair is behaving itself.

He frowns at the book, is he even in the right chapter? He doesn't see any of that. "Uh… probably not."

Blair presses her lips together, "Then no."

He's quiet for a moment and then, "Blaair… come on…"

She huffs and lifts her head, "Do you understand what a test is, Nate?"

His bottom lip juts out a little more, "_Yeah." _He's not an idiot. And even if he was, she's been obsessed with this thing since their teacher announced it this morning. They're sitting on her bed with their history books and notes spread around them and all she does is hand him loose-leaf pages with stuff written on them and say things like _page 254 _and it's not like he even knows what she wants him to do.

"Okay then, so memorize the terms of the Louisiana Purchase," she tells him seriously, "So you can pass it."

"But…" he shrugs, "Who _cares. _It was a like… a hundred years ago!"

Blair takes a calming breath and sets her highlighter down. She's underlining the material for the note-cards she plans on making— but first she is going to explain to her admittedly adorable (but okay, rather _unaware) _boyfriend that although the Louisiana Purchase took place in 1803 it's still a bit _relevant _to them today.

But he speaks before she does, tells her, "My game is tomorrow."

She closes her mouth for a beat and then answers, "Yes, I know." She has all his games written and color-coded in her planner. It's important for girlfriends to remember those sorts of things. "But it's after school. Our test is first, so you—"

"And you're coming?" He interrupts her. "To the game?"

Blair hesitates for a breath before nodding a little. "Yeah…" she answers more softly, "Don't you… do you not want me to come?" She asks carefully.

He straightens abruptly from where he's slouching against her headboard, his elbow in her pillow, "No! I do!" He exclaims, eyes widening, "I definitely do. I wanted to be _sure." _ He says emphatically and the ducks his head a little, turns his gaze to the book and thinks _don't ask why, don't ask why, don'taskwhy—_

"Why?" She asks, tilts her head to one side a little.

He flips at the corner of the history book pages with his thumb, falls back into the headboard again, "No reason."

Blair rolls her eyes, "Do you want Dorota to make a different kind of cookie?" She asks, smiles a little. She brings the team cookies when they have a home game.

He looks at her, "Nooo," drawls the word out playfully, "Chocolate chocolate-chip is good." He grins, "I like those."

Her smile widens, she ducks her head a little bit, "I know."

"Okay," he looks back at the book, blows out a breath, "So what chapter are we in again?"

"Nate!" She laughs, can't help it. "It's not like we just started this!" She exclaims, reaches over and tugs his book away from him, "We've been at this for almost an hour. What have you been doing?"

He shrugs, watches her flip through the book. "I dunno… oh!" He hands her a sheet of paper, "This! Worked out a couple plays to try out."

Blair looks up from where she's finding chapter 12 for him. She takes the paper and studies it, he did— he drew a diagram of the lacrosse field, plays; while she planned notecard's for their exam. It's kind of… cute, very _Nate _and it makes her smile again, "Do you even care if you pass?" She wonders, returns the sheet to him.

He takes it and sets it back down. "I'll pass," he nods confidently, grins at her wide, "I've got this really smart girlfriend, she takes the most _wicked _notes anyone's ever _seen_— pretty amazing."

Blair arcs an eyebrow, "Oh yeah?" She shoves the book back at him, on the appropriate page, "What makes you think she's sharing with you?"

He leans forward, "I just said…" he teases, his face close to hers, "She's _amazing." _

Her smile turns a little shy when he looks at her like that; like he really sees something amazing in her nobody else does. And he has to right? Because Nate is _Nate _and he doesn't lie. He's _perfect. _

"Well…" she says, waves a hand in the air lightly, feels a little flustered. "You still have to focu—"

He kisses her then, really softly and kind of slow, because they're both still getting used to part; the other stuff is so easy, holding hands and sitting together at lunch, she has cookies baked for him and he carries her books for her, and it's all just a bit of an expansion on the whole of their lives, on how they've always done things.

But this, the kissing, is new and it's special; it's something that Serena doesn't have and Chuck doesn't know, because it's just them and just when they're alone; and maybe someday, maybe even soon, everybody will see and know, but for now it's just them, just theirs and she scoots a little closer to him, puts a hand on the bed between them to steady herself as she leans into the kiss.

He lifts his lips from hers moments later, blinks at her, "Is that… is that nice?" He wonders quietly; wants her to like it, him. Blair only likes the very best.

She opens her eyes and doesn't say anything straight away; his eyes are _so _blue, so focused on her that it makes her breathless, speechless.

Until his expression falters and he starts to lean away from her.

"It's nice," she says on a rush, lips curing in a genuine smile. "It's really nice," she adds.

Her smile makes him feel warm, happy. And he touches her hand gently, "Better than Louisiana Purchase?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure…" She teases, "You know that had a huge impact on the development of our country. I'm not certain tha—"

He cuts her off with another kiss, faster and more playful, and then touches his forehead to hers, "Aren't these having a huge impact on the development of _us?" _He wonders, waggles his eyebrows at her.

She giggles, "I guess so."

"So then…?"

"Okay, you're better than the Louisiana Purchase," she admits; gives him a teasing glance, before adding, "Which happened… _like a hundred years ago," _she mimics.

He tilts his head back and laughs; and the attacks her, arms around her waist and fingers at her sides as he tickles her.

Her uniform skirt rides up and she wiggles in his hold, laughs as she cries, "Nate! Nooo! Nate! Stopp, stopp it!" And bats at his hands; he grins at her, watches her laugh.

He does stop, when they're both breathless and panting and lying side-by-side on the bed, over the notes and pens and highlighters, the books crammed between them.

"Okay…" she breathes, pats at her hair before turning her head to look at him, "So _can I ask you a question?" _She teases.

He nods benevolently, grins. "Yes Blair, go ahead."

"Why'd you ask me if I was going to your game?"

Nate stills for a beat and then he makes a face at her, "You can't laugh."

Blair rolls her eyes, "I'm not going to laugh."

He's pretty sure she is going to laugh. "Seriously," he adds anyway.

"_Seriously." _She repeats and her hand slips towards his on the bed, "I won't," she says, wraps her fingers around his.

Nate lifts his head a little and glances down at their joined hands; hers is so much smaller than his— he's really gotten used to that.

"Okay," he drops his head back onto the bed, "So you didn't go to our last game."

"It was away, I didn't have time after debate." She says softly, "I told you that…"

"I know." He nods. "It's just…" he shrugs, "We _lost." _

She looks at him; he's staring up at the ceiling, but when he feels her gaze on him he turns his head to look back at her. "And I only made like 2 shots."

"Two isn't bad."

"It's not five."

"I guess not." She squeezes his hand again, "It's still good though."

"So you have to come." He says easily, smiles.

She stares at him, is he saying—

"So I'll make five." He finishes, turns on his shoulder towards her, "You're like my charm, for luck."

Blair's mouth feels too dry and her heart is pounding too hard and there's this tingling sensation inside of her, all over, that she's _sure _has to be love; this is love, right here and right now and she _beams _at him. "Yeah?"

Nate nods, basks in the pleasure on her face. "It's like a scientific fact," he concludes.

Blair giggles, shoves at his shoulder lightly, "You're a dork."

He gasps at her, eyes widening in mock-hurt, "You said you wouldn't laugh!"

And this time she kisses him.

* * *

.the end.


End file.
